Getting Started

For us, getting started was a little trial and error, and a lot of advice from fellow couponers. To make it easiest for you (now that we know what we're doing) we've compiled a list of the essentials and the things that are nice to have to get you started on your journey to savings!


1. Binder...This is the most obvious. Everyone needs a way to organize their coupons. Trust me, you don't want a million cut up coupons sitting around. You'll never find anything and you'll miss out on deals because you couldn't find that one stinking coupon! Some people use filing folders, or a photo box sectioned off into categories. Whatever your preference is, make sure you spend some time getting it perfect. It'll make things a lot easier!


2. Coupon Holders...Best thing to use if you are using a binder (our preference of a filing system) is baseball card holders. Most companies that make coupons actually make them the right size to fit into them nicely, without having to do much or any folding. Business card inserts are a bust. You'll have to fold every coupon and won't be able to see what there for or the expiration date. If you live in the Schuylkill County area, go to Renningers auction on a Sunday, there is a stand in the outside building that sells these. The thicker ones are only 8 for $1.00 and the thinner ones are 12 for $1.00, but I suggest the thicker ones. If you don't, you could always use ebay to find them also.


3. Newspapers...Dollar Tree sells them for $1.00, so that's your best place to get them. I (Bethany) have one paper delivered to me every Sunday morning, and go through the inserts to see the best deals, and decide if I should buy more papers, and how many. If there is one really good deal for an item (more than $1 off) it's worth getting more. If it's a limited insert that only has one good deal, it might not be worth spending $5 on papers for $5 worth of coupons. You can look at the top corner of the paper and it will tell you the total amount of savings for that week (A good insert week is around $250) Click on the Sunday Coupon Preview tab above, and you will be shown all the coupons and inserts coming out the following Sunday, and then you can go to your individual store ads to match up the coupons with the deals, before it's even Sunday!


4. Circulars...Next you want to gather up the weekly circulars for your local stores. Schuylkill County papers always have circulars for Boyers, Giant, CVS, Rite Aide, and Weis. The local paper in Columbus always has a circular for Walgreens, CVS, Target, Kmart, and Walmart. If you don't get all of the circulars you want, you can go around to the remaining stores and pick them up, usually right inside the entrance. 


5. Internet coupons...These can be deceiving. You don't want to get print happy, because that can be a waste of ink. Make sure your printer is set to black and white print. Some cashiers may try to tell you they can't accept black and white, and that's when you show them the fine print that says "Available for use in black and white" at the bottom of the coupon. Search around the stores in your area that sell ink, to find the best price. Recycle your old cartridges. DO NOT alter or COPY any printed coupons. That is illegal. Most websites will let you print the coupon twice, sometimes by clicking the Back button after it prints the first time. You may also get the same coupon from two different sites, if it allows you. If you have two computers, you can print double the coupons.
Coupons.com
smartsource.com
couponnetwork.com
redplum.com
rightathome.com
pillsbury.com
bettycrocker.com
kelloggs.com


6. Start Matching...What I (Erika) do, is go through the circulars first, highlight or circle all of the sales on items I know I already have coupons for, or want to look for coupons for. I use Microsoft Word, and start listing the items, sale price, and coupon I have, and how many I'm getting, so when I go to the store, I'm armed with what I need. If there is a sale I want a coupon for, I'll search company sites, coupon sites, and sometimes even email the companies requesting coupons for their product. This part can be time consuming if you go into it the way I do, and sometimes the company will tell you they don't mail coupons, but I've also gotten great savings, and sometimes coupons for free items by doing this work, so it's worth it!


*Tip: Never go to a store without a copy of their coupon policy! Sometimes you'll have an associate who turns down one of your coupons, and if you KNOW what you want to do is allowed as per their policy, show them. They aren't happy about being proven wrong but hey, why should you miss out on your savings because the associate doesn't know the policy like you do? See an upcoming post for links to these local and national coupon policies.